Politics, 'pits' and put-downs steal the show - what happened to The Voice?

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Image 1 of 9: Talented contestant Qusay Hatem shocked viewers when he picked Tunisian coach Saber Al Rubai over fellow Iraqi Kazem Al Saher. Perhaps pop politics got in the way when Qusay remembered that the 'Caesar of Arabic music' is in direct competition with his famous father, Hatem Iraqi.

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Image 1 of 9: Playing it smartly: Sherine Abdel Wahab has been accused of picking Gulfi contestants over fellow Egyptians. Never one to pass up an opportunity for more exposure, perhaps the cunning coach is hoping her Gulfi gamble will pay off in lucrative gigs after the show has wrapped.

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Image 1 of 9: Assi Al Helani has proved himself to be quite the ladies' man. But, the so-called 'Knight of Arabic music's' harmless flirting might be harming the competition. When he picked flirty Syrian songstress Ines Lattouf for his final team, angry viewers said her voice was the last thing on his mind.

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Image 1 of 9: Losers get lucky: A few weeks back Kazem Al Saher took to the stage to console popular contestant Zaidoun Hussein after a crushing defeat. Since then his competitors have thought themselves lucky to lose out in the competition if it means getting some one-on-one time with the Iraqi legend.

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Image 1 of 9: Whilst all ears may have been on the contestants at the start, viewers have had their eyes firmly glued on the host…or, on his hair at least. As coaches were busy judging teams, the audience offered its own critique of Mohammad Karim's mop: the slick presenter could try losing the gel if he's to make it to the next round of his career unfazed.

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Image 1 of 9: Sherine Abdel Wahab is no stranger to scandal and the controversial coach shocked fans once again when she picked Alaa Ahmed for her final team. Seemingly taking her eyes off the prize, Sherine was reading when she should have been thinking, leaving some viewers to suspect that the unruly songstress had been slipped some cheat notes.

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Image 1 of 9: After her very public breakdown earlier this year, fans of Sherine expected the unstable star to have a strong support network to guide her through the grueling show. But, her trainer Mohammad Abu Khair has sparked concern amongst viewers that he too might not be man enough for the ruthless competition.

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Image 1 of 9: It's the pits: Sherine - the only female coach in an otherwise male lineup - might be doing her bit for girl power with a woman-heavy team. But, show fans fear that the star's fairer sex selection isn't up to scratch. Maybe if she'd spent more time talent-spotting than showing-off her arm-pits, the Egyptian diva would stand a chance of winning.

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Image 1 of 9: Whilst competition on The Voice might be fierce, it pales in comparison to real wars in the region. The opening two rounds have reduced coaches and contestants to tears, whilst family members of some of the competitors look on the brink of breakdown…maybe they need to be reminded that it's a singing competition not an apocalypse.

Now that the blind auditions and the battle rounds are out of the way, viewers of MBC's The Voice are looking forward to this weekend's first live show when the power will finally be put in their hands.

As the coaches' final teams of five get set to impress on The Voice this Friday night, we take a look at the behind-the-music drama that has taken the attention away from the singing talent over the past few weeks. The feelings, the hair-styles and the scathing commentary - it's all tucked away in the slide gallery above.

Share your opinons, musical tastes and contestant bets! Comment freely on judges and players, show hosts or even the audience in the space below!